


Always: The Philosopher’s Stone

by mischief_rcs



Series: Always [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischief_rcs/pseuds/mischief_rcs
Summary: The same old story we all fell in love with, except with a new character, who has the possibility to change everything we know.What threat does Eileen Lila Snape pose to the Dark Lord, follow her as she befriends the newfound Golden Trio, assists them in their journey and learns bits of her past.
Series: Always [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145414





	1. Eileen Lila Snape

**Author's Note:**

> All known characters and settings belong to JKR (Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Hogwarts, Spinner's End), Eileen Lila Snape, John Presley and Andomeda Scammander all belong to me. I do not give permission for this version to be copied in any way, shape, or form. 
> 
> !!ALERT: I AM IN FACT POSTING THIS ON FFNET! Please go to my bio for the username! 
> 
> Enjoy.

"Albus, I can't." Severus insisted, avoiding looking at the small child in the headmaster's arm. 

"Severus," Albus replies firmly, "she's alone, you'd make a better father than you think." Severus finally looked down; the entire time, the child didn't once cry, instead, she was happily playing with Ablus's beard.

She had soft brown hair already growing and sterling grey eyes that stood out. 

"Okay. I'll raise her, on a few conditions. She lives with me at Hogwarts during the school year, she cannot be told the truth about myself or her past. I want her to think highly of me."

Albus nodded, gently passing the child over. She almost began to cry at the passing, however, Snape was quick to hold her gently but firm, he held her close and knew that this girl would have him wrapped around her finger. 

"She needs a name, Severus." 

"Eileen. Eileen Snape."

Raising a child was no easy task, Severus soon learned. She cried unlike the first day, and it wasn't easy to figure out why. Not to mention she cried no matter the time, causing the darkly dressed man to lose his sleep, making him more irritable. 

"Please, please Eileen. Stop crying. For the love of Merlin, just let me sleep." He begged, holding the babe close and gently rocking her. Securing her firmly in one arm, he pulled his wand out with the other. 

"I hope this works; Expecto patronum." 

The glowing doe began to form, catching Eileen's eyes, she slowly halted her cries. The doe looked confused, unsure of why she was summoned. Severus showed his newly adopted daughter to the doe, in which Eileen smiled and the doe trotted gently, as if putting on a show. Finally, the child had ceased crying and instead was laughing and smiling.

Severus couldn't help but smile himself. Maybe being a dad wouldn't be so bad. Resting in the velvet dark green armchair, with Eileen held close. He began to drift asleep, and for the first time in weeks, he was able to get a full night's rest. 

The sunlight slowly creeped into the professor's quarters, stirring him awake. As he went to get out of the armchair, a not-so-good realization dawned upon him. 

Where was his daughter?

He frantically stood up and began looking around, listening for her cries or laughter. He was so worried, that he had not noticed in the kitchen, Eileen was quietly petting a grey tabby, with marks around her eyes as if they were spectacles. 

The grey tabby walked away from Eileen and transformed into an elegant woman donned in emerald green robes; the woman picked up Eileen and walked to Severus.

"Really, Severus," she spoke, "no need to worry, she's right here."

"Minerva. Thank Merlin you have her." Severus sighed and gently took his daughter from Minerva's arm.

"I came to check on the two of you. You missed breakfast you know. Good thing you have a free period first thing in the morning."

"Yes, yes, I struggled a bit with getting Eileen to sleep; have been for a couple of weeks. When she stopped crying I must have passed out."

"Completely understandable, but Severus you are not alone with her. Albus and I wouldn't mind watching her a few nights so you could rest. You might be her dad but even biological parents need breaks." Minerva gently scolded, she was never a parent herself, not biologically, but to hundreds if not thousands of students at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Minerva, now, I must get going, the classroom needs preparing." With the swish of his wand, his robes and hair straightened out. He grabbed his cloak and threw it on. With another swish, Eileen was also straightened out. 

He grabbed a small can of baby food, kindly provided by Professor Sprout, and quickly made his way to the potions classroom. 

"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making." Severus sneered over the class of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors.

Eileen was safely secured in her chair in the background, coloring in a very old, outdated copy of Advanced Potion Making. One Hufflepuff shyly raised his hand. 

"What is it, Smith?"

"Why is there a baby in the room, sir?"

"She is my daughter, for anyone even thinking it, should any harm come to her, any tears be caused by a student; I promise you the Forbidden Forest will be a lot more friendly." The Hufflepuff quickly averted his gaze, out of fear and embarrassment.

The Gryffindors broke out into a quiet chatter, wondering amongst themselves, the origins of Eileen Snape. 

"Quiet! Begin your work on page 167, I expect a full essay on the topic of a bezoar by tomorrow." The entire class grumbled, but quickly began their work. Severus made his way to his desk and quietly played with his daughter, being careful that no students saw; he does have a reputation to uphold. 

Classes went on, Eileen didn't cause a fuss. Naturally, students had questions but Severus gave the same speech every time. 

Eventually it was time for dinner. Severus made his way back to his private quarters, with Eileen firmly in one arm. 

"Severus! Severus!" He heard Minerva calling, he stopped and turned to face her. 

"Yes, Professor?" 

"The Great Hall is the other way, why don't you join us? It'll be good for Eileen to get accustomed young." Severus blushed faintly, he supposed it wasn't healthy to hide away with his daughter, he couldn't always protect her.

"Yes, you're right. Let's go to the Great Hall." 

All students stared at the teachers' table, astonished to see that the grumpy, rude potion professor was catering to and loving a small child. Albus, Minerva and Pomona Sprout smiled fondly, the other professors were too shocked.

Severus did his best to keep Eileen fed and happy, she was giggling and kept watching the illusioned sky and floating candles. 

Severus finally noticed the students staring and sent a harsh glare that made them snap to reality and resume eating. Eileen began to grow tired as she snuggled into her father's black robes. 

Severus dismissed himself from the feast and this time, was able to make it to his quarters. He placed the small girl on the king sized bed and changed her out of her day clothes and into a soft onesie.

Severus, himself, shedded off the black cloak and day clothes, hidden behind a partition, he believed in modesty even though she was too young to remember. After putting on a pair of black sweats and a gray t-shirt, he came back into the view of his daughter, who giggled and babbled to him. 

His heart ached with a happiness he had long forgotten. He enchanted the phonograph to begin playing a soft lullaby and scooped Eileen into his arms, slowly dancing around the room with her. 

"I love you, my dearest. I'll always be here for you, I promise." He smiled as once again she sleepily snuggled into his arms. He kept dancing until the song was over, then tucked her into the bed, and fell asleep beside her.


	2. Eleven Years Old

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" The eleven year old shook Severus awake, "Guess what? Guess what day it is?!" She eagerly, quite nearly, screamed. Severus had a small, tired grin. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to mess with his daughter. 

"I don't know, my dearest, are the Malfoys coming for a visit?" He teased, knowing that the young Eileen didn't much care for her cousin. 

"No, dad, you didn't forget did you?" Severus chuckled and gently patted her hair.  
"No, I know what today is, today we will go to the aquarium. Isn't that right?"

She giggled at her father's antics and shook her head. "I'm eleven! My letter comes today!"

"Oh, is that right little missy?" He quickly scooped her up and pulled her into his bed, tickling her all the while. "Can't escape me now, can you?" Eileen squealed and squirmed, trying to escape her father's grip, when all of a sudden:

THUNK!

"Now what in the world was that?" Severus questioned, releasing his daughter and getting up. He grabbed his wand, you never know who visits Spinner's End. With Eileen behind him, they made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where a Black Banded Owl was preening atop the table. 

"Winter!" Eileen screeched, startling the owl out of her grooming, "do you have it?!" She began searching eagerly for the tan envelope with the Hogwarts crest, and soon grew quiet unable to find it. Severus kneeled in front of his daughter, and handed him the letter that he accio'd. Her face gleamed once more with excitement. 

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Dumbledore gave it to me so that I could hand it to you. Happy eleventh, my sweet girl."   
"You scared me, dad! But thank you!" She hugged her father tight before carefully opening her letter. 

Eileen L. Snape  
13 Spinner's End   
SW5 London  
England

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Snape, 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

The small girl squirmed in excitement, careful not to let out another scream. She handed the second parchment to her father, it was a list of school supplies. 

"Dad, could we go to Diagon Alley today? Please?" She looked up at him, her sterling grey eyes flickering with hope. 

"I don't see why not. Gives you time to study and practice." Severus smiled as his little girl couldn't contain her excitement this time. She ran up the stairs, nearly tripping a few times but shouted reassurances to him. Within five minutes she was dressed, groomed and ready to go. While Severus himself had only put on a new shirt. 

"Moxie!" He called to the house elf, "please make breakfast for myself and Eileen." 

"Right away, sir!" Severus had finally finished dressing into his day clothes and walked down stairs to see Eileen happily chatting to Moxie while chewing on her eggs.

"Eileen, we don't talk with our mouth full." He gently scolded. 

"Sorry, dad," she swallowed the bit of eggs before turning to the house elf, "sorry, Moxie."

"It's no trouble, dear one." Moxie smiled, in all her years working for the Snape's, she had never encountered a sweet witch like Eileen. 

Severus kissed the top of his daughter's head before sitting down to eat and read The Daily Prophet. 

"Dad, who's Harry Potter?" Eileen asked, causing Severus to choke on the black coffee he was sipping. 

"Now, where on earth did you learn that name?"

"He's on the Prophet." She pointed to the headline.

Harry Potter to Begin Term at Hogwarts

"So he is," Severus sneered. "Let's just say his dad was no friend of mine. This boy is only famous for surviving an attack." 

"But loads of people survive attacks!" Eileen protested, confused.

"Exactly my dear." 

"Come along Eileen, we need to get your wand and these books, how did I not see these back in January?" Severus grumbled, he didn't like being in Diagon Alley so close to the beginning of the term. 

Eileen's eyes were full of amazement, they always were when they paid visits. She was lost in looking around that she didn't see the messy haired boy she bumped into, causing his books to fall from his arms.

"I'm sorry! Here let me get those for you." 

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you!" The boy exclaimed and knelt as well. With his books back in his possession he held out his free hand to shake. 

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." 

"I'm Eileen, Eileen Snape." She shook his hand, before she could ask any questions father's frantic voice broke the crowd over by Ollivander's. "Excuse me, Harry, Dad didn't realize he lost me. See you at Hogwarts." 

She turned her attention away from Harry, "Dad! I'm coming!" 

Eileen raced to Ollivander's and hugged her father, causing him to slightly jump before hugging her back. 

"Where did you go? I thought someone took you."

"I met Harry Potter! Well, bumped into him is more like it, and I was helping pick up his books since I made him drop them. He doesn't look famous, dad." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, from the minor heart attack he nearly had and his daughter's rapid fire speech. 

"Ok, sweetie. Let's go get your wand." With his hand on her shoulder, he opened the door to the dimly lit wand shop. 

"Ah, Ms. Snape, I was wondering when I'd see you, I believe I saw you wandering Diagon Alley back in January. Very surprised you didn't get your wand then." Ollivander smiled, walking towards the desk. 

"Hello, Garrick, I'm afraid it's me who chose not to let her get her want so early, you know how excited she gets, wouldn't have waited until September to begin rattling off spells." Severus's voice was stoic, hinting of no emotion. 

Ollivander chuckled to himself, "yes, I can only imagine the excitement within you, little one." It took several tries, breaking the glass and causing boxes to fall, but Eileen Snape soon found the wand for her; vine wood with dragon heartstring core, 10 ¾ inch with hard flexibility. 

"How amazing," Ollivander gasped, "you and your father both have dragon heartstring core, not by the same dragon, no, but still something fun to know." He winked at the small girl who looked to her father with adoration in her eyes. 

"Did you hear that? We have the same core!" Severus only smiled at the small girl.


	3. New Friends

"Do I have to?" Eileen whined, not looking forward to riding the Hogwarts' Express.

"Yes, dear, it's tradition." Severus gripped her hand and trolley, bringing them to the brick wall that led to Platform 9 ¾. Severus looked down at his daughter, who noticeably looked dizzy. 

"I prefer apparition," she slurred, slightly shaking her head to regain herself. 

"Alright dear, they'll load your trolley and Winter safely. Now you need to find a compartment and make some friends. Don't let anyone give you a hard time." 

"I won't, no one messes with us!" She exclaimed, giving her father one last hug before the hours long train ride. 

Eileen searched the compartments gingerly, wanting to desperately avoid Draco Malfoy, when she finally saw a familiar messy haired boy, sitting with an unfamiliar red head and bushy haired girl. 

"Harry!" She beamed, Harry looked at the door and returned her smile.

"Eileen, how good to see you, come sit with us."

"Ooh, another girl," the bushy haired girl smiled, "I'm Hermione Granger."

"And I'm Ronald Weasley," the red haired mumbled, his mouth stuffed with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"How many brothers do you have?" Eileen asked, wondering how many more siblings they had. Her whole life she had always befriended a Weasley, beginning with Bill and Charlie when she was only five and now Ron. the twins, Fred and George were her favorite, always playing pranks. 

"Five brothers, I'm number six, then there's Ginny, she'll begin her first year next year. Who are you, by the way?"

"Oh! I'm Eileen Snape, my dad is the Potions Master, don't let him scare you."

"Snape?" Ron exclaimed. "All my brothers say he's a git. A grumpy old dungeon bat." Eileen sighed, she hated the rumors of her father, but couldn't deny that he was mean and cold towards other people. 

"Yeah, that's true, or it can be, but if you knew him like I did," she trailed off, not sure how to explain her father's love. 

"It's ok Eileen," Hermione smiled, "people have different masks depend on the audience, you get to see the real him." Eileen sighed, grateful that at least Hermione understood. 

"Let's get changed," Eileen said, "we'll be arriving soon."

The four new friends piled out of the train with other students all around them, and that's when Eileen and Harry recognized the half giant standing at the gate. 

"Hagrid!" They both beamed, happy to see him.

"Why, Harry, Eileen." he smiled back "right then, first years, this way please! Come on, now, don't be shy. Hurry!" 

The students began to pile onto the boats, 2 each. Ron went with Harry. Leaving Hermione with Eileen. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." McGonagall greeted.

"Trevor!" a pudge face boy cried, rushing to the toad at the professor's feet. "Sorry," he mumbled, walking away.

"It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Draco turns to his friends, "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." 

Ron held back a laugh, but wasn't unnoticed, "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley. Well, soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco extended his hand for Harry to shake

Harry rejected the handshake, "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Now it was Eileen's turn to hide a laugh, no one else had ever dared reject her cousin. 

"We're ready for you now. Follow me."

"It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione stated to Ron, looking at the bewitched ceiling.

"Will you wait along here, please? Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." McGonagall instructed to the crowd of first years.

Dumbledore stood from his chair in the center of the teacher's table, "I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch" he points his hand in the direction of the ragged old man called Argus Filch who was holding his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris. "has asked me to remind you that the 3rd floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Dumbledore sat back down as the students stared in silence.

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger." Hermione, clearly stressed, walks up to the stool.

"Mental that one, I'm telling you." Ron snickers to Harry, only to be jabbed in the side by a disproving Eileen.

"Ah, right then, hmm, right. Okay, Gryffindor!" the hat called, students cheer, Hermione jumped off the stool with a wide smile.

"Draco Malfoy." the hat didn't need to touch his head before yelling, "Slytherin!" only Slytherin table cheered, with a scattered group of Hufflepuffs.

"There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." Ron stated, once again earning another jab from Eileen. Harry looks around and notices a black greasy haired, pale man, called Severus Snape, giving him sinister looks.

"Eileen," he whispered, "why is your dad staring at me?" Eileen shrugged, and looked at her father, smiling widely and offering a small wave, earning a slight grin from Severus.

"Ronald Weasley." Ron gulps and walks up, he sits down and the hat is put on. "Ha! Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you, Gryffindor!" The students cheer as Ron sighs in relief.

"Harry Potter." Everything goes silent. Harry walks up and sits down on the stool. The Sorting Hat is placed on his head.

"Hmm, difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?" Harry whispered to the hat.

"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness! There's no doubt about that. No?" The hat mused. "Well, if you're sure better be, Gryffindor!" There is an immense cheering and Harry goes to the Gryffindor table.

"We got Potter! We got Potter!" Red-headed twins chanted. 

"Eileen Snape." Once more, everything goes silent, all eyes on the Potion Master's daughter. She walked up to the stool, the hat being placed on her head. 

"Snape, hmm, a professor's kid. Like your parents, you're brave and intelligent like your parents. But there's a secret about you, hiding something dark, are we?" The hat whispered, "I know, better be, Slytherin!" Slytherin and her Gryffindor friends erupted in cheers.

"We got Snape! We got Snape!" The Slytherin table cheered back at Gryffindor.

Eileen looked back to her father, who had a big grin on his face despite being in public. 

"Let the feast, begin!" Dumbledore announced, and suddenly food produced onto the tables.


	4. Let the Classes, Begin

Harry and Ron ran as fast as they could muster through the stone halls to their class, Transfiguration. They slow down once in the classroom, grateful that McGonagall is nowhere in sight.

"Whew, amazing, can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron said between breaths, chuckling slightly. 

The tabby cat once perched on the professor's desk, jumps off and transforms into Professor McGonagall. Harry and Ron stare in shock. Never seeing and animangus before. 

"That was bloody brilliant."

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Maybe if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch, maybe one of you would be on time."

"We got lost," Harry piped up. 

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats." Ashamed, the two boys hurry to their seats behind Eileen and Hermione. Who were giggling to themselves about the confrontation. McGonagall heard them and slowly walked to their desk, the two girls quieted down upon seeing the emerald robes. 

"Ms. Snape, just because your father is our Potions Master doesn't mean I won't issue a detention. Best do well to remember that, next time. Five points from Slytherin and Gryffindor, each. On account of giggling and tardiness."

"Sorry, professor," the girls mumbled; beginning to focus on work. 

In the dimly lit potions class, the students are chattering, sitting near steaming cauldrons; when the door slams open and Severus comes rushing in.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few," he looked towards his daughter, letting a faint smile touch his lips. "Who possesses the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." Severus looks around before his eyes land on Harry, who was writing on his parchment. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention." He sneers, stopping at Harry's desk. Eileen jabbed Harry in the side to get his attention. 

"Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione's and Eileen's hands skyrocket. Harry merely shrugged. 

"You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's and Eileen's hands shoot up again.

"I don't know, Sir."

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter?" Eileen frowned, lowering her hand, she knew her father acted cold to other students, she had seen it before, but never this horribly. 

After classes all first to fourth years had a study period. Some went to dorms, some chose the library, this time the 3 Gryffindors and Eileen chose the Great Hall, other students were scattered about. One in particular was Seamus Finnigan who was focused on enchanting his cup. 

"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water into rum." He looks in the cup and shakes his head. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..." 

"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry pondered.

"Turn it into rum." Ron replied, watching Seamus. 

"Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before it exploded." Eileen finished, by now all nearby eyes were on Seamus. 

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry about dad. He's usually cold to others. But I promise you, he's a great father, always has been." Harry nodded, it reminded him of the Dursley's, doting on Dudley; not so much to him. 

ZAPOOF! 

The cup explodes, there is laughter amongst the students. Fred sneakily hands George five galleons. 

Suddenly, a flock of owls start coming into the hall from the rafters above, the owls soar by, dropping parcels to students. Eileen and Harry notice the newspaper Ron tossed aside. 

"Can I borrow this?" Harry asked, Ron nods with a smile. "Thanks," he grinned, Eileen scooched closer to Harry to read as well. 

"Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!" Seamus called out. 

"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red," Hermione pipes up with her never ending knowledge, just as the Remembrall filled with red smoke, "it means you've forgotten something."

"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten." Neville says, scratching his head. Eileen giggles, noticing he wasn't wearing his cloak like the others, it must've been what he forgot. 

"Hey, guys, somebody broke into Gringotts. Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to." Harry says, looking at his friends, showing them the moving picture of the goblins in front of the vault.

Soon study period was over and classes resumed. 

The students, Gryffindor and Slytherin, are lined up in two rows with brooms by their sides. Madam Hooch walks down the line of students. 

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch." They simultaneously replied. 

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, Up!" Madam Hooch firmly instructed. 

"Up!" Harry's broom was the first to fly up, "Whoa."

"Up!" Draco smugly grins at the easiness. 

"With feeling!"

"Up. Up. Up. Up." Hermione grew increasingly frustrated as he broom didn't want to move. 

"Up." Eileen commands, sounding nearly as stoic as her father, unlike him however she couldn't contain a massive grin when the broom flew into her hand. 

"Up!!" Ron commanded. His broom flew up and conked him on the nose. "Ow!" His three friends burst out laughing "Shut up, guys."

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end." Hooch instructed, the class began mounting. "When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle; 3, 2..." the whistle shrieked in the otherwise silent feild. 

Neville immediately lifts off, looking quite frightened. "Oh..."

"Mr. Longbottom."

"Neville, what are you doing?"

"We're not supposed to take off, yet." Neville begins to fly off, the broom clearly out of his control. 

"Mr. Longbottom Mr. Longbottom!" Neville screams, scared for his life.

"Down! Down! Help!"

"Come back down this instant!"

He soars through the sky and hits a wall, conking along it and then swooping off. All the while, he is still screaming. He begins to zoom back towards the group of students. Madam Hooch holds out her wand to stop him, Neville approaches not even able to slow himself. The students scatter. He zips through the scatter and up a tower and past a statue of a man with a sharp spear. His cloak catches on it, the broom still zipping away. Neville is flipped off the broom and hangs there.

"Help!" He wavers, then the cloak rips, and he falls, catching on a torch, but then slipping out and falling to the ground.

"Everyone out of the way!" Madam Hooch runs through the group, and they scatter. "Come on, get up."

"Is he alright?"

"Ow, ow, ow-ow."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh dear. It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get." Draco reaches down and grabs Neville's Remembrall, which has fallen. 

Hooch begins to lead Neville away with her. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, 'Quidditch'."

Eileen was worried for the Gryffindor, by the time she refocused on the class, Draco and Harry were zipping around. Harry was chasing the Remembrall that he caught right in front of Professor McGonagall's office.

"Oh, no..." she whispered, fearful he would be expelled.


	5. Ghosts of the Past

Eileen later learned that Harry wasn't expelled, but rather offered to be a seeker for Gryffindor. She was proud of her friend, not any first year could ever make the team, but now she had more pressing matters to think of. 

Eileen quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Pansy Parkinson next to her. She grabbed her black robe; it was only a much smaller version of Severus's cloak, her father had great taste, even if it was all black, and began her way past the common rooms, into the halls and to a particular set of stones in the walls of the castle. 

"Lily Eileen." She whispered, and with those two names, the stones began to separate and form a small hallway that would lead to her father's and hers private quarters she grew up in. Severus wasn't anywhere to be found. She knew he must be making his nightly rounds, so she settled into the dark green armchair, unsure of how long it would be before he arrived.

Eileen didn't have to wait long, maybe a half hour at most, before she heard the stones creaking once more, she stood up, ready to meet him.

"Eileen!" Severus said with shock in his voice, "what are you doing? It's past curfew." He was frustrated, never angry, but he'd be lying if he said Eileen didn't test him sometimes. 

"I know, dad, but I needed to talk to you." When the words passed her lips, Severus became worried instantly. Usually 'I need to talk' meant someone had dared to mess with her or hurt her. 

"Why are you so mean to Harry?" She asked before he could even get a word out. Severus was shocked, not truly realizing his daughter befriended the Potter boy. "And I don't mean your normal amount, you were so much more than that, you hunted him down like he was a mere pest." 

"Dearest, it's complicated," Severus trailed off, he didn't know if he was ready to tell her. Tell her how James and his friends bullied him relentlessly. How he called the only woman he loved a mudblood. 

"Dad, please. I get why you don't believe he should be famous. I just don't understand why you must be so cruel." Eileen looked down, afraid that her outburst might make him angry. 

Severus took three strides before being in front of his daughter, he knelt down to her height and hugged her close.

"Sweet girl, you're going to cause yourself stress if you worry over this."

"But Harry is my friend!" She cried out, pushing him away. It was right then, that Severus felt his heart crack, that he realized his daughter was upset, and it was his fault. 

"Do you remember that spell I taught you, for your mind." Severus asked.

"Legilimency."

"Exactly," he sat in the armchair, "you have my permission to perform it. It'll be much easier to see, than if I tried to explain."

"But, dad, I've never tried it. How do we know I won't mess up?" 

"You're my daughter, Eileen, or did you forget?" He said with a smile, cupping her cheek and planting a kiss on her forehead. "I know you can do it, there are no drawbacks if you don't succeed."

Eileen sighed and took a step back, pulling her wand out and pointing it at her father. 

"Legilimens!" She said firmly, and in an instant she was in her fathers mind.

"Leave him alone," a read headed girl said firmly. She was looking at a boy who was identical to Harry, but older, with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?" 

"Well," said the boy, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..." Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, a long haired boy and rat faced boy included, the girl didn't. 

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." 

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said the boy now known as Potter. "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Evan's furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, "Let him down! Leave him alone!" She shouted, she had her own wand out now. All three boys eyed it warily. 

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Eileen turned to see who voiced such a negative thing, when she came to face with her father, a younger him anyways. 

Evan's blinked. "Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd watch your back if I were you, Snivellus." 

Eileen began to see black as she exited her father's mind, unaware that her body was falling. 

"Eileen!" Severus jumped up to catch her just before her head hit the hard floor. "You pushed yourself too hard, my dearest." Tears pricked his eyes, afraid of how his daughter would view him when she awoke. 

He picked her up, and carried her to her room that Dumbledore was kind to add when she turned three. Using wandless magic the bed became untucked so that he could put her under her covers, and she could stay warm.

Once she was covered and he was sure Eileen was still asleep, Severus leaned against her wall and began to silently sob at the now freshened memory. 

"My dearest, please don't think so low of me. Please understand, even if it's minimal. I can't lose you too."


	6. Halloween

It had been three days since Eileen talked to Severus, she was furious with her father for keeping such a secret, for using what occurred with Harry's mum and dad as reason to be cruel to her friend. 

"Ahh!" Ron yelped. 

"What's happening?" Harry inquired, fear in his eyes. 

"The staircases change, remember?" Hermione answered. The staircase stopped, leading to a corridor. 

"Let's go this way. Before the staircase moves again." They all open a door and walk into a dark and deserted corridor. 

"Does anyone feel like we shouldn't be here?"

"We're not supposed to be here. This is the 3rd floor. It's forbidden." Eileen replied, "but lucky for you, I know all the nooks and crannies of this school." Suddenly, a flame lights on a tall stone support. Mr. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, comes running in and meows.

"Let's go." 

"It's Filch's cat! Run!" The group run through the corridor, flames are lit up on the stone supports, one by one, as they run past. They get to the end of the corridor, to a door.

"Quick! Let's hide through that door!" Harry grabs the handle, but it's locked.

"Harry if it's locked we need to stay out!" Eileen stated, knowing the consequences of trespassing. 

"That's it, we're done for!"

"Oh, move over!" Hermione pushes through and pulls out her wand, aiming it at the lock. "Alohomora." The door clicks, signaling it was now unlocked, the group quickly rushed in.

"It was locked for good reason." Harry stammered, Ron, Eileen and Hermione turned to stand with Harry. There is a massive three headed dog sleeping in front of them. The dog begins to wake. It growls, yawns, and growls more noticing the intruders.

Screaming, the four of them bolt, running out of the door. They turn quickly to shut the door and battle against the dog. They get the door shut and run.

"What do they think they're doing? Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school. Eileen did you know about this?" Ron yelled, accusatory, Eileen shook her head, just as traumatized as her friends. 

"You don't use your eyes, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I wasn't looking at its feet! I was a bit preoccupied with its heads. Or maybe you didn't notice, there were three!"

"It was standing on a trap door. Which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something."

"Guarding something?"

"That's right. Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed... or worse, expelled!" Hermione stomped away, to the Gryffindor Commons.

"She needs to sort out her priorities!" Ron exclaims, calling for another jab from Eileen. "Bloody hell, stop that, you're going to break a rib." 

Eileen decided while in Charms that she would go see her father tonight, to apologize for being harsh and to ask him more questions. She knew he was only trying to protect her.

"One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation, the ability to make objects fly. Uh, do you all have your feathers?" Flitwick interjected her thoughts, Hermione raised her feather. "Good. Now, uh, don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, hmm? The swish and flick. Everyone." 

"The swish and flick." Everyone droned. 

"Good. And enunciate. Wingardium Leviosa. Off you go then."

"Wingardrium Leviosar!" Ron mispronounces, irritating both girls, he waved his wand really fast numerous times. Hermione stops him.

"Stop, stop, stop. You're going to take someone's eye out." 

"Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Levi-o-sa, not Leviosar." Eileen interjected. 

"You do it then if you're so clever. Go on, go on." The girls straighten up and swish their wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa." they synchronized, the feather glows and lifts up. 

"Oh, well done! See here, everyone! Ms. Granger's and Ms. Snape's done it! Oh, splendid!"

"Wingard Levosa." Seamus mispronounces, a rather deadly move. An almighty explosion flashes. Flitwick gasps, as Eileen and Hermione turn to the source of the explosion. 

"I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor." Harry snickers. 

Ron was mimicking Hermione, "Stop, you'll take someone's eye out, then switched to mocking Eileen, "It's LeviOsa, not LeviosAR, They're a nightmare, honestly. No wonder they haven't got any friends!"

Hermione rushes past, tears brimming her eyes, with Eileen following, but not before smacking upside Ron's head with her book. 

"I think they heard you."

"Where are the girls?" Harry inquired, stuffing his face with Halloween food. 

"Parvati Patil said that they won't come out of the girl's bathroom. She said that Hermione had been in there all afternoon crying." Neville piped up. 

Ron and Harry exchange glances. Suddenly, Professor Quirrell comes flying into the room, screaming: "Troll! In the dungeon, Troll in the dungeon!" He fainted, collapsing onto the hard, stone floors. The room is silent, not really understanding what just happens, and then upon realization, everyone freaks, screaming and running.

"Silence!" Dumbledore boomed, "Everyone will please, not panic. Now, Prefects will lead their houses back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

"Hufflepuff, this way!"

"Stay together!"

Snape looks aghast, desperately searching for his daughter in the crowd, he feels enormous dread when he realizes Eileen was never in the Great Hall that night, and disappears through a doorway. 

"Gryffindors, keep up please. And stay alert!" Percy Weasley commanded, trying his best to get them to safety. 

"How could a troll get in?"

"Not by itself. Trolls are really stupid. Probably people playing jokes." 

Ron gets yanked off to the side by Harry. "Hermione and Eileen! They don't know!"

The two run off, down corridors when they suddenly stop, because there is a loud grunting noise. Harry pulls Ron into the doorway and a large, ugly troll thunks by into a room.

"He's going into the Girl's Bathroom!"

"Come on Hermione, Ron's a git, a great big git just like Percy and Draco." Eileen said in front of the stall door. Hermione emerges from a stall, wiping her eyes with a small smile. She stops when she sees something, the troll is standing above them. 

"Eileen, behind you!" She grabs her friend and pulls her out of the way of the swinging club. The girls scream, alerting Harry and Ron that the troll made it to the bathroom. 

"Guys, move!" The troll smashes the remaining stalls. The boys start throwing wood pieces at the troll.

"Hey, pea brain!" Ron throws wood and hits the troll on the head. The girls escape from the stalls to under a sink, but the troll sees them and goes to smash the sink, it cracks the sink and barely misses them. 

Harry gets out his wand. He runs forward and grabs the troll's club, and is lifted up. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa!" He lands on the troll's head, and is hurled forward, then back, and his wand goes up the troll's nose.

"Ew." His three friends said. The troll snorts, and whips around. It gets Harry off its head and is holding him by one leg, upside down, it gears up its club and swipes at Harry. He pulls himself up, then down. The troll swipes again.

"Do something!"

"What?"

"Anything! Hurry up!" Ron grabs his wand. Under the sink, Hermione waves her hand.

"Swish and flick!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The club is lifted out of the troll's hand and hovers above its head. The troll looks up, confused, just as the club comes crashing back down. It hits its head and the troll wavers, then drops Harry, who crawls away, and comes crashing down, hard. 

"Is it dead?" Eileen inquires, helping her friend out from under the sink. 

"I don't think so. Just knocked out." He grabs his wand. "Ew. Troll bogies."

Suddenly, McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell come rushing in.

"Dad!" Eileen rushed into Severus's arms holding him tight, still shaken up. 

"Oh! Oh, my goodness! Explain yourselves, all of you!"

"Well, what it is..." the boys tried coming up with an answer.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall. I went looking for the troll. I'd read about them and thought I could handle it."

"I went with her, I didn't want her to do it alone," Eileen says, giving a smile to Hermione. "But we were wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found us, we'd probably be dead." Severus held Eileen closer, rubbing her back gently. 

"I'm just glad you're ok, my dearest." He whispered to Eileen. 

"Be that as it may it was an extremely foolish thing to do." Harry looks at Snape's leg which has a large cut on it. Snape notices Harry's stare and covers it up, glaring at him, earning a small punch to the gut from Eileen. 

"I would have expected more rational behaviour on your part, Ms. Granger and Ms. Snape, five points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin for your serious lack of judgment." McGonagall sighed, facing the boys, "As for you two gentlemen I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many students could take on a full grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points will be awarded to each of you. For sheer dumb luck."

"Dad," Eileen whispered, "I'm sorry." Severus smiled, picking up the small girl, he began walking to their quarters. Eileen laid her head on his shoulder, sleep attempting to take over after her adventure. "I'm sorry too, Eileen." He replied, stopping in front of the wall that led to their private home inside Hogwarts. 

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, I'm sorry for taking it out on the Potter boy, however, he is insufferable. How can you be friends with him?" Severus set her down on the armchair, briskly walking to the kitchen to get tea boiling. 

"To be fair, I am more friendly with Hermione." Eileen smiles to herself, snuggling into the chair. 

"Even her, she's a know-it-all..."

"So am I, dad, I have enough knowledge to pass my O.W.Ls with high marks." She reminded him of all the studying she did from the moment she could read. 

When Eileen turned five, she followed around many students, to the library, dorms, the Great Hall, and they taught her. No matter what house they were, to them Eileen was a great study partner, asking questions they couldn't think of after hours of reading non-stop. 

"I remember," Severus sighed happily, "the Ravenclaws loved you the most, I quite distinctly recall them yelling with Slytherins about a 'custody agreement'."

"Dad, no, you'll summon the upperclassmen," she laughed. Happy that her and her feather were talking and laughing again, even though it had been her error to issue their limited end. 

Severus walked over with the tea. "Earl Grey, your favorite." Eileen nodded in thanks, sitting up properly to face her father. 

"Dad, I want you to tell me more, please."

Severus sighed, "James hated me, I was an easy target that loved the girl he loved. He and Lily died at the hands of..." Severus trailed off, Eileen didn't know about Voldemort, or the first Wizarding War, and she definitely didn't know her beloved father was on the enemy's side originally. 

"Eileen, not all wizards are good, some are bad, with horrible intentions. And one of them murdered Lily and James Potter using the Killing Curse, that's why Harry is famous, he survived an Unforgivable Curse. The Dark Lord also did the same to your parents, your biological parents. No one except the professors here know they had a daughter, Albus has reason to believe you were, and still are, a target to the Dark Lord." Severus was cut off by a quick hug from Eileen. 

"I am a Snape, no one else."

Severus stroked a hand through her shoulder length hair. "You're the best daughter a man could ask for, you're intelligent, brilliant and as much as I hate it now, you're very independent." 

"Just... try to be nicer to Harry, for me?" 

"I still have a reputation to uphold, my dearest."

"I know, I love you, dad."

"I love you too."


	7. Quidditch

Harry is twirling his food on a fork, Eileen joins the Gryffindors at their table. 

"Take a bit of toast, mate, go on." Ron encourages. 

"Ron's right, Harry. You're gonna need your strength today." Hermione says, looking up from her book. 

"I'm not hungry."

"Hello, dad." Eileen smiles, her father walking up to the group. 

"Good morning, Eileen." He turns his attention to Harry, "Good luck today, Potter. Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you...even if it is against Slytherin." Eileen smiles faintly, he was nicer, barely, but still nicer. Severus walks away, limping. 

"That explains the blood." 

"Blood?" Eileen questioned. 

"Are you telling me you really didn't notice?"

"Excuse me, but I don't look at my father's legs." 

"Listen, last night, I'm guessing Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past that 3 headed dog. But, he got himself bitten, that's why he's limping." 

"But why would anyone go near that dog?"

"The day I was at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults. He said it was Hogwarts' business, very secret."

"So you're saying..." Hermione trailed off. 

"That's what the dog's guarding. That's what Snape wants." Harry finishes, "I'm sorry Eileen, but I don't think he tells you everything."

"I wouldn't expect him to, Harry, I just hope what you're implying is wrong." 

Hedwig screeches, she's carrying a very large, long parcel. She drops it, right in front of Harry's plate. 

"Bit early for mail, isn't it?" Ron states, mouth full of eggs and mash. 

"But I never get mail."

"Let's open it."

"It's a broomstick!"

"That's not just any broomstick, Harry. It's a Nimbus 2000!" Ron marveled. 

"Who sent it, Harry?"

"No idea," He looks up to see Professor McGonagall up at the head table, stroking Hedwig. She smiles and Harry nods.

Both teams mount their brooms and zoom out onto the enormous pitch. There is cheering. The commentator, a Gryffindor, Lee Jordan is talking from a tower.

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" Lee announces, his voice booming across the field. 

Ron, Hermione, Eileen, Neville and Harris could all be seen cheering together. 

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" 

"Eileen shouldn't you be with Slytherin?" 

"Why would I? Harry's my friend, and I hate Flint!" 

The players take their positions in the air in a circle. Harry weaves in, highest amongst. He looks down.

"The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game." Lee continues his commentary.

"Now, I want a nice clean game, from all of you." Madam Hooch eyes Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Chaser, before kicking the chest that held the balls for Quidditch.

"The bludgers are up, followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth 150 points. The seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game." 

The snitch zooms around each Seeker's head, then disappears. Madam Hooch grabs the Quaffle and tosses it up to the players.

"The Quaffle is released and the game begins!"

Gryffindor takes possession of the ball and a chaser, Angelina Johnson, zooms past Slytherins towards their goal, and throws the ball, and scores! There is a ding.

"Angelina Johnson scores! 10 points for Gryffindor! Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle. Bletchley passes to Captain Marcus Flint."

Flint dodges people and throws for the Gryffindor hoops. Oliver Wood appears and whacks the ball away with his broom. He smirks at Flint, Angelina and Katie Bell pass the Quaffle back and forth as they strategize to score. Johnson takes it, throws, and once again scores!

"Another 10 points to Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor stands erupt in loud cheers. 

The Slytherins decide to get messy. They dodge, kick, and try to score. Once again, Oliver blocks.

"Give me that!" Flint demands. He grabs a beater's bat and whacks a bludger right at Oliver. It hits him in the stomach and he falls to the ground. 

Everyone except Slytherin boo, but the game continues.   
"  
The Slytherin members head off. One jumps over George Weasly and scores. 

The two beaters of Slytherin box Angelina in and send her into the capes covering one of the towers, she falls and is out. The crowd boos. Slytherin scores once again. Suddenly, Harry sees the Snitch. He starts to head off after it and then his broom starts bucking and turning.

"What's going on with Harry's broomstick?" Hagrid exclaimed. Hermione looks through binoculars at Harry, then at Snape, who is muttering something.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!"

"Jinxing the broom?" Eileen yells, "What do we do

"Leave it to me." She hands Eileen her binoculars and leaves. 

Eileen takes the chance to look through and sees not only is her father muttering, but Professor Quirrell as well, she couldn't make sense of it, couldn't tell who was jinxing and who was counter-cursing. For once, Eileen decided she wouldn't confront her father, not until she gathered more evidence that pointed against him. Harry is knocked around, then falls, dangling by one arm from the broom.

Hermione is hurrying up a tower. She appears underneath Severus and touches his cloak with her wand.

"Lacarnum Inflamarae." A spark ignites and Severus's cloak catches fire. Hermione leaves.

"Fire! You're on fire!"

"What? Oh!" He knocks the man back, who falls into Quirrell, who then also falls. Severus bats out the fire and acts as though nothing happened. The broom stops bucking, and Harry climbs back on.

Gryffindor erupted into cheers once more. 

Harry rams the Slytherin Seeker, then is butted out. He returns, smashing the Seeker again as the Snitch dives. The boys follow, but they approach the ground quickly. The Slytherin Seeker backs out, and Harry pulls up his broom as he follows the Snitch, feet above the ground. Harry stands up, and steps forward, trying to grab the ball. He goes too far, and topples off the broom with a yelp, tumbling on the ground. He gets up and lurches.

"Looks like he's gonna be sick!" Harry lurches and the Snitch pops out of his mouth. It lands in his hands.

"He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!"

"Gryffindor wins!" Madam Hooch announces, a smile playing at her lips. Harry raises the Snitch into the air and the crowd, and his team, cheers.

"Go Gryffindor! GoGryffindor! Go Gryffindor! Go Gryffindor!"


	8. Christmas

"Nonsense. Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" Hagrid inquired, the Potions Master wasn't always the kindest to him, but that didn't mean Severus was a traitor.

"Who knows. Why was he trying to get past that three headed dog on Halloween?" Harry replied, looking at Eileen out of the corner of his eye. 

"Who told you 'bout Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?"

"That thing has a name?"

"Well, of course he's got a name. He's mine. I bought him off an Irish feller I met down at the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn'ta said that. Don't ask any more questions. That's top secret, that is."

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it!"

"Codswallop. Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."

"Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a curse when I see one. I've read all about them. You have to keep eye contact. And Snape wasn't blinking."

"Actually," Eileen tried to speak up, to defend her father, but why would they believe her, a daddy's girl, no less to the one they think is the worst person on the planet. 

Hagrid sighed, "Now, you listen to me, all three of you. You're meddlin' in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Nicholas Flamel?" 

"shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that. I should not have said that."

"Nicholas Flamel...Who's Nicholas Flamel?"

"A philosopher, other than that, I've got no idea." Eileen replied, finally she had a new subject to ponder on.

Hermione approached the empty tables, wheeling a cart. She goes to Ron and Harry, who are playing chess. Eileen was sitting off to the side, showing Harry the best moves to make. 

"Knight to E-5." A piece moves across the board.

Ron thinks for a moment, "queen to E-5." His queen walks over to E-5 and clinks the knight away.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione exclaims. 

"That's wizard's chess." Eileen smiled.

"I see you've packed." Ron snarked. 

"See you haven't."

"Change of plans. My parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother, Charlie. He's studying dragons there!"

"Good. You can help Harry and Eileen, then. They're going to go to the library for information on Nicholas Flamel."

"We've looked a hundred times!"

"Not in the restricted section. Happy Christmas." 

"I think we've had a bad influence on her." Ron said to Harry. "You as well," he looked to Eileen. 

"Ron, I've dealt with your older twin brother's, you're nowhere near as bad as them." She giggled

"Dad! Dad! It's Christmas!" Eileen squealed, running into her father's room and jumping on top of him. 

Severus let out a muffled grunt as the surprisingly strong weight of his petite daughter crashed onto him. "Trying to kill me, are you?" He joked.

"Never," Eileen climbed off her father's body and was sitting crossed legged on the bed. Severus sat himself up, before quickly darting to grab the wiggling girl and hugged her tightly all the while tickling her sides.

She let out a shriek of laughter and tried her hardest to escape his grip. "Dad! No!" She breathed out between laughs, Severus had the biggest smile on his face as laughter filled his chest, he stopped tickling his daughter, but wasn't quite ready to let her go from the hug. 

"Happy Christmas, dad." She bubbled, hugging him back.

"Happy Christmas, my dearest. Now let us get up, dressed, you can open your present and I will begin cooking our dinner." He chuckled as the small girl zipped to her room to get dressed. Severus got up himself and changed into black slacks and a grey long sleeve shirt, there was no need to dress formally when it was only him and Eileen. 

He made his way to the small kitchen, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows as he began pulling out pots, pans, meat, vegetables and everything he'd need for the Snape's Christmas Dinner. Eileen had now zipped out of her room and to the tree. 

Her gifts consisted of a small Potions Set, a grey sweater with the Slytherin crest over her heart and a moving picture of her and Severus hugging before she boarded the train. Eileen got up and went to hug her father tightly.

"Thank you, dad." Severus placed a hand on her head, not for long as she suddenly jolted. "Wait, you didn't see your gift!" Eileen zipped back to the tree, pulling out a rather badly wrapped box. 

"My gift? Eileen what on Earth do you mean?" Severus inquired, leaving the kitchen to join his daughter at their tree. He took the box from her hands and sat on the armchair, slowly, carefully unwrapping it. 

It was a scrapbook, 'Memories with Dad: By Eileen Lila Snape'. Severus flipped the pages, all sorts of pictures, drawings, notes and even song lyrics he had played for her covered the pages, and on the last page, was the very first picture he ever took with Eileen. It was an awkward picture. Severus was holding her and you could see the worry and love for his daughter etched into his face. It was only a week after he adopted her, Minerva insisted on taking the picture. 

"Oh, Eileen," he gently placed the book on the coffee table and pulled her into a big hug, tears of happiness threatening to spill. He pulled Eileen into his lap as he relaxed into the chair and continued to hug her. "It's perfect, thank you." 

Eileen hugged her father back, resting her head on his shoulder, she loved her father's hugs, they were always full of love and safety. 

"I love you, Eileen."

"I love you too, dad."


	9. The Mirror

Eileen rushed to the Gryffindor common room to join her two best friends. Just as she walked past the propped painting she heard the boys gasp. 

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed.

"My body's gone!" Harry replied, equally as surprised. 

"What on Earth do you mean," Eileen questioned, her eyes going wide as all she sees is Harry's floating head. "Oh, Merlin."

"I know what that is. That's an invisibility cloak."

"Duh."

"I'm invisible?" Harry spun around, looking down at himself.

"They're really rare. I wonder who gave it to you?" Eileen set down the bag of leftovers Severus allowed her to bring the boys. 

"There was no name. It just said use it well."

Harry and Eileen walk through the dark library and into the Restricted Section. Ron insisted on sleeping. The lamp is put down, and the cloak removed as they search the shelves

"Famous fire eaters, 15th Century, Fiends." 

"Flamel, Nicholas Flamel,where are you?"

Harry picks up a book and opens it. A man's face appears from between the pages, which screams madly and loudly. He immediately slams the book shuts and puts it back.

"Quiet!" Eileen shushed him harshly

"Who's there?!" They hear Filch yell out, they whip around and quickly grab his cloak, causing the lamp to fall and shatter. "I know you're in there. You can't hide." They run from the room, breathing heavily, only to see Mrs. Norris, who meows and begins to follow them. Harry and Eileen run around a corner, just as Severus and Quirrell appear. Severus pushes Quirrell into the wall.

"Severus, I-I thought."

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell."

"W-what do you m-mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean." Severus senses something which causes the pair to stop breathing. He reached out to grab something, but didn't. He whips his finger back in front of Quirrell's face. "We'll have another chat soon, when you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie." Filch arrives, carrying the broken lantern.

"Oh, Professors. I found this, in the Restricted Section. It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed." Upon hearing this, Severus and Quirrell dart off. Harry and Eileen rush to a door and open it. On the other side, there is a vast, empty room that has a large mirror in the center, known as the Mirror of Erised. Harry is the first to walk up, alone. He walks over to the mirror, in the reflection, he sees two people appear.

"Mum?" The red headed woman, Eileen knew as Evans, nods. "Dad?" Potter nods and smiles. Harry reaches out to touch them, but only gets the mirror. Then, his mother puts her hand on his shoulder. He puts his own hand on his own shoulders, as if trying to feel her there. As Harry ran back to get Ron, Eileen took her turn, instead she saw herself, alone, it confused her. Why did Harry see his parents but she doesn't see her father? 

Harry and Ron rush into the wooden doors, "Come on. Come. Come look, it's my parents!"

"I only see me."

"Look in properly. Go on. Stand there. There. You see them, don't you?"

"That's me! Only, I'm head boy and I'm holding the Quidditch cup! And bloody hell, I'm Quidditch Captain too! I look good. Harry, do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? Both my parents are dead. What did you see Eileen?"

"Only myself."

The next morning, the current trio sit together besides the Weasley Twins, Fred and Eileen happily discussing pranks. 

"Do you like yours, Ron?" George asks, gesturing to his sweater. Ron doesn't answer and turns to Harry.

"Want to play chess?"

"No."

"We go and visit Hagrid?"

"No."

"Harry, I know what you're thinking, but don't. There's something not quite right about that mirror."  
Harry nods and Ron turns his attention to George. The next night, Eileen is back in the room where the mirror is, Harry let her borrow his cloak, gazing longingly at the reflection, trying to see more than herself. Dumbledore appears far behind her.

"Back again,Eileen?" She turns around and stands up. "I see that you, like so many before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust by now you realize what it does. Let me give you a clue. The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is."

"Is that why I'm alone? In the reflection."

"Yes and no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. Now you, who have never known your family, you don't see them standing beside you. You are content, at least this far in your life. But remember this. This mirror gives us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad. That is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home, and I must ask you not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams, Eileen, and forget to live."

"What do you see professor?"

"Socks," Dumbledore smiled and Eileen couldn't help but smile back.


	10. Dragons and Unicorn Blood

In the library; Harry, Ron, and Eileen are seated, reading. Hermione comes up with a huge book. She thumps it onto the table. Harry jumps.

"I had you looking in the wrong section! How could I be so stupid? I checked this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" 

"Of course! Here it is! Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"

"The what?" Harry and Ron were confused, Eileen's face lit up, however. 

"Honestly, don't you two read?" 

"The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." Eileen recited. 

"Immortal?"

"It means you'll never die."

"I know what it means!"

Harry shushed them as other students looked at the four of them. 

"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday!" That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what's under the trapdoor...the Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione read, astonished. 

Later that night, Hermione, Eileen, Ron and Harry are running across the wet ground to Hagrid's hut. They knock on the door and it opens.

"Hagrid!"

Hagrid opens the door, clad in oven mitts and an apron, "Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today."

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" They all exclaimed.

"Oh. Well, come in." They all walk into Hagrid's small hut.

" We think Snape's trying to steal it."

"Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you? And Eileen, he's your father!"

"I know, but I'm not ready to make any personal conclusions yet, none of my evidence lines up." She whispered.

"Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why." Harry said, shooting a sad smile to Eileen.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone! He's not about to steal it!"

"What?" They all asked, confusing written on their face. 

"You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today."

"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?"

"Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments." Hermione grinned at her answer. 

"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me."

Hermione looks at Ron, who is being sniffed in the face by Fang. Ron shuffles away.

"Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." A cauldron over a fire begins to rattle.Hagrid hurries over and grabs something, "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" He sets the thing, an egg, on the table. The group crowds around.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?"

"That? It's a, its um.."

"I know what that is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact." The egg rattles and cracks. Pieces fly off as a dragon emerges. It squeaks and slips on an egg piece.

"Is that a dragon?" 

"That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."

"Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert." 

"Norbert?" Eileen couldn't help but snicker. 

"Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he? Don't you, Norbert?" He raises fingers back and forth across Norbert's chin. Norbert backs away, hiccups and blows a fireball of fire into Hagrid's beard.

"Ohh! Oooh, ooh, ooh, well...he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." Hagrid sees someone looking in the window. "Who's that?" The figure scampers away.

"Malfoy." The group synchronized.

"Oh, dear."

The four are walking back through a corridor. 

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon. He told me so the first time I could talk to him." Eileen stated. 

"It's crazy. And worse, Malfoy knows."

" don't understand. Is that bad?"

"It's bad." Ron and Eileen said together.

They stop as McGonagall, in her nightgown, appears. "Good evening." Malfoy appears smugly beside her.

McGonagall's classroom, the four accused are standing in front of McGonagall's desk, while Malfoy is feet away, smirking.

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken."

"50?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention." Malfoy nods, then his smile vanishes.

"Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us?"

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, as honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will serve detention with your classmates."

Harry, Ron, Eileen and Hermione grin, and Draco sags.

The five students are being led back to Hagrid's hut by Mr. Filch. "A pity they let the old punishments die. There was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming." Draco gulps, and Hermione rushes by. "You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the dark forest."

Hagrid appears with a crossbow. He sniffles.

"A sorry lot this, Hagrid. Oh, good God, man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?"

"Norbert's gone. Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind."

"Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby, after all."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, pull yourself together, man. You're going into the forest, after all. Got to have your wits about you."

"The forest? I thought that was a joke! We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed." Draco tried backing away, but Eileen roughly grabbed his arm. 

"And there are werewolves!" Eileen shivered. 

"There's more than werewolves in those trees, lass. You can be sure of that. Nighty-night."

"Right. Let's go."

In the forest the group walks along a path to a tree. Hagrid stops, bends down and dips his fingers in a silver puddle. He pulls out his fingers and rubs them together. A silver trail smears with his fingers.

"Hagrid, what's that?"

"What we're here for. See that? That's unicorn's blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been injured bad by something. So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me. And Harry, you'll go with Eileen and Malfoy. Draco grimaces, and Harry and Eileen nod. 

"Okay. Then I get Fang!"

"Fine. Just so you know, he's a bloody coward."

Harry, Eileen, and Draco are walking through the forest, Fang leading. Draco has the lamp. "You wait till my father hears about this. This is servant's stuff."

"Shut up, you're much more annoying now than over the summer." Eileen snapped.

"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared." Harry snickered.

"Scared, Potter?!" A howl echoed through the forest, "Did you hear that? Come on, Fang. Scared."

The group approaches a flat ground with gnarled roots all over. Fang stops, then growls.

"What is it, Fang?" Up ahead, a cloaked figure is crouched over a dead unicorn, drinking its blood. The figure raises its head, silver blood dripping from its mouth. Harry gasps and grabs his scar, which is hurting.

"Harry?!" Eileen grabbed her friend's arm as Malfoy runs screaming. The figure slides over the unicorn and rises erect. It advances towards the duo, who back up, but trip. They crawl backwards. Suddenly, there is the sound of hoofbeats. A figure leaps over them and lands near the cloaked figure. It is a silver centaur. It rears, and the cloaked figure retreats, flying away.

"Harry Potter and Eileen Snape, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you."

"But what was that thing you saved us from?" Harry got to his feet and offered a hand to Eileen which she graciously accepted.

" A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death. But at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure that the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life."

"But who would choose such a life?" Eileen questioned. 

"Can you think of no one?"

"Do you mean to say that that thing that killed the unicorn, that was drinking its blood, that was Voldemort?" Harry asked, Eileen made a note to ask about Voldemort, was this the Dark Wizard?

"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's Stone." They said together once again. Suddenly, Fang barks. Harry looks up and sees Hagrid, Hermione, Ron and Draco appear.

"Hello there, Firenze. I see you've met our young Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape. You alright there, Harry, Eileen?"

"Harry Potter, Eileen Snape, this is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck."

They group gathered outside of the Gryffidor painting. 

"You mean, You-Know-Who's out there, right now, in the forest?" Ron asked, fear in his voice

"But he's weak. He's living off the unicorns. Don't you see? We had it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he wants the stone for Voldemort. With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will be strong again. He'll come back."

"Harry, I've dealt with everything else, but why would my father be working for such an evil person?" Eileen put her hands on her hips, awaiting an answer. Except, no one could offer her one. 

"But if he comes back, you don't think he'll try to kill you, do you?"

"I think if he'd had the chance, he might have tried to kill me tonight."

"And to think, I've been worrying about my Potions final!"

"Hang on a minute. We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?"

"Dumbledore! As long as Dumbledore's around, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around, you can't be touched."


	11. Trapdoors

"I've always heard Hogwarts' end of the year exams were frightful, but I found that rather enjoyable." Hermione grinned.

"Speak for yourself." Eileen giggled.

"You speak for yourself!" Ron protested, "according to Charlie, you could help him with his O.W.Ls when you were, what, six?"

A groan from their friend broke the argument, "All right there, Harry?" Ron asked gingerly. 

"My scar. It keeps burning."

"Perhaps you should see the nurse."

"I think it's a warning." Harry groaned, shutting his eyes, when he reopened them he saw Hargrid's hut, and then everything made sense. "Of course!" Harry took off jogging, his friends close behind. 

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger shows up and just happens to have one?" They approach Hagrid, who is playing on his flute. "I mean, how many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pockets? Why didn't I see it before? Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg?"

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know. I never saw his face. He kept his hood up."

"The stranger, though, you and he must have talked."

"Well, he wanted to know what sort of creatures I looked after. I told him. I said: After Fluffy, a dragon's gonna be no problem."

"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Hermione questioned.

"Well, of course he was interested in Fluffy! How often do you come across a three headed dog, even if you're in the trade? But I told him. I said: The trick with any beast is to know how to calm him. Take Fluffy, for example, just play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep." The four gape.

" I shouldn't have told you that." The group take off. "Where are you going?! Wait!"

McGonagall's classroom. They come tearing in and run up the aisles between desks. They pass a ghost, Peeves, and stop at the desk.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately!"

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's gone?! Now? But this is important! It's about the Philosopher's Stone."

McGonagall was shocked, "How do you know about it, did your father tell you this, Eileen?"

"No, ma'am."

"Someone's going to try and steal it."

"I don't know how you four found out about the stone, but I can assure you it is perfectly well-protected. Now, would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly." After exiting McGonagall's class, they walk down the hallway.

"That was no stranger Hagrid met in the village. It was Snape, no offense Eileen, which means he knows how to get past Fluffy."

"Look, just because my dad is the Dungeon Bat doesn't make him a villain!"

Severus suddenly appears behind them, "Good afternoon. Now, what would three young Gryffindors and my daughter be doing inside on a day like this?" His eyes were mainly focused on Eileen.

"Uh, we were just," Hermione couldn't lie, not on the spot."

"You want to be careful. People will think you're up to something." Severus placed a hand on Eileen's soulder in place of a hug before walking away, his mind filled with worry.

"Now what do we do?" Ron asked, hushed.

"We go down the trapdoor. Tonight." Eileen replied, watching her father walk away.

Classes came and went, as did lunch and dinner. It was finally nightfall, Harry eagerly told Eileen about how they stunned Neville a few minutes prior to their meetup. The four are under the Invisibility cloak, sneaking along the corridor.

"Ow! You stood on my foot!" Hermione hissed.

"Sorry." A flame lights. Hermione draws out her wand and points it at the door.

"Alohomora." The door opens and they go in.

"Wait a minute he's sleeping."

"Snape's already been here. He's put a spell on the harp." Eileen bit her tongue to prevent saying something she'd later regret. They approach the sleeping dog.

"Uh. It's got horrible breath!"

"We have to move its paw." Eileen stated, matter-of-factly.

"What?!"

"Come on!" Harry was the first to move; he grabbed the paw blocking the door. Soon all four of them were lined up against the paw. "Okay. Push!" They strain and move it and open the door. 

"I'll go first. Don't follow until I give you a sign."ileen stated, Fluffy's eyes open, the four friends suddenly become aware of the silence. "If something bad happens, get yourselves out. Does it seem a bit quiet?"

"The harp. It stopped playing." Hermione whispers as drool from one head comes down on Ron's shoulder.

"Ew! Yuck! Ugh." All four kids look up and see Fluffy standing there. He barks and growls, thrashing, breaking the harp and dives at them.

"Jump! Go!" They all jump through the trapdoor.


End file.
